How to Fix Freezer-Burned Meat

By Stacy Zogheib

Meat can be expensive. Steak, roast, chicken, pork loin and other cuts of meat can eat into your food budget quickly. One thrifty way to combat this sticker shock is to stock up on meat when it's on sale and freeze any that you won't be using in the next day or two. Unfortunately, meat can "burn" in the freezer; this happens when meat is exposed to air at freezing temperatures and dries out, compromising its taste and texture. Fortunately, salvaging lightly freezer-burned meat is fast and easy.

Remove freezer-burned areas before cooking meat.

Step 1

Defrost the freezer-burned meat in the microwave or in the refrigerator.

Step 2

Look for spots on the meat that are discolored. Grayish-brown areas have been freezer-burned.